Mass EdForum

June 26, 2013

Standards Make Computer Science Accessible for All

The Legislature’s Technology Caucus, led by Senator Karen Spilka and Representative Kathi-Ann Reinstein, met earlier this month to hear from representatives of Google, Intel, Microsoft and Oracle about the need for more computer science education to better train students for […]
June 26, 2013

Education Reform at 20

June 18th marked the 20th anniversary of the Education Reform Act of 1993.  MBAE’s role in that landmark legislation is detailed in a report by Achieve about “Massachusetts’ Lessons for Sustaining the College and Career Ready Agenda”.   Our organization is […]
July 11, 2013

Income-based Achievement Gap Persists in Massachusetts

The Education Trust issued a report this week that analyzes NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) data to examine how state performance on this measure compared to the nation as a whole over the past decade.  Uneven at the Start: […]
July 30, 2013

“Navigating the Swamp” of Educational Technology: A New Guide

Educational technology is a growing force across the country: investment nationally is at an all-time high, with $427 million in funding going to 74 early-stage K-12-focused companies in 2012 alone (according to the NewSchools Venture Fund). Massachusetts is exploring these […]
August 12, 2013

AP Opportunities Reveal Participation Gaps

Participation in Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs has increased significantly over the past decade, but participation data indicates that not all qualified students are benefiting from AP programs.  Students can earn college credit if they score strongly […]
August 26, 2013

New York Connects Teacher Prep to Classroom Performance

This month New York City became the first district in the nation to release reports on how teacher preparation programs relate to performance in the classroom. The Teacher Preparation Program Reports, released by the NYC Department of Education, evaluated the […]
August 27, 2013

Start Early with STEM

Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education is a critical component to developing a globally competitive workforce.  Business leaders across industries agree:  Investing to ensure a pipeline of workers skilled in STEM competencies is a workforce issue, an economic development […]
August 29, 2013

Debate Over Science Standards Continues

According to the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, Massachusetts’ current state science standards are “clearly superior” to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) which were issued earlier this year.  The Fordham report spurred a counter-statement by the National Science Teachers Association […]
November 6, 2013

New Hiring Policy is Good News for Boston Public Schools

Three years ago, MBAE and the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) issued a report on Boston Public School policies that have an impact on teacher quality. Our conclusion was that while the district had many smart, strategic policies already […]
November 7, 2013

MBAE to Wage Campaign to Raise Student Achievement

Massachusetts has made dramatic gains in student achievement over the past twenty years through the systematic implementation of cutting edge reforms.  Today, our students lead the nation on national and international assessments. Although the state’s performance is impressive and envied […]
December 16, 2013

PISA Results Highlight Math and Science Gaps

A lot of ink has been spilled recently about the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) results released earlier this month.  Massachusetts, Connecticut and Florida took the 2012 test as if these states were countries, so we have comparisons of […]
December 23, 2013

Transition to New College and Career Ready Assessments Has Begun

The 1993 Education Reform Act (that has been credited with raising student achievement in Massachusetts to the top of the nation) had as two of its core principles high standards and an accountability system for measuring whether these standards were […]
January 29, 2014

State Budget Redux

With Race to the Top and other federal funding initiatives winding down this academic year, state policy makers and school leaders are grappling with the challenge of sustaining this work with declining resources.  So, we were interested to see how […]
February 9, 2014

Facts Are Stubborn Things

“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”                           […]
February 13, 2014

No Child Left Unemployed

The convergence of education and the economy is evident in two separate reports issued this week.  The findings make it clear that we need to pay attention to the competencies our children acquire in school if we expect them to […]
February 19, 2014

Standards and Assessments In the News Again

Another survey has confirmed teacher enthusiasm for the Common Core State Standards.  Yes, it is a project of Scholastic and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which the standards’ detractors characterize as the all-powerful Oz, but the data is indisputable. […]
March 3, 2014

Preparing Students for the Jobs of Tomorrow

Many thanks to Achieve for allowing us to share this important information from their February Newsletter! As states continue to implement college- and career-ready standards and prepare for the transition to aligned assessments, it’s more important than ever to remember […]
March 17, 2014

Voters Support Common Core and Aligned Assessments

National survey results released Friday by Achieve, a nonprofit, nonpartisan education reform organization, show strong voter support for Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Although a majority of those polled (two-thirds) had heard “nothing” or “not too much” about the Common […]